Thursday, September 28, 2017

Lush Hot Oil Treatment for Hair: Review

With the recent launch of the Jelly Masks (reviewed here) and the Halloween Collection that just dropped, Lush has been putting out a lot of new products for Fall. Therefore, it feels like the new Hot Oil Treatment ($10.95 to 12.95 CAD)kind of went under the radar so today I want to give you a thorough guide and review of the range. To read on, click......
Available in five varieties, the Lush Hot Oil Treatment is a nourishing hair treatment in the form of a solid honeycomb-shaped bar. Each bar is attached to a popsicle stick and to use, fill a heat-proof container with a "few ounces" of boiling hot water. Lush doesn't specify exactly how much water to use so I kind of eyeballed it using one of their how-to videos as a guide. If you ask me, I'd say that about 1/2 cup (125ml) or a little more should do the trick.

Lush Hot Oil Treatment in "New"

Once you have your water ready, dip the Hot Oil Treatment and stir with the popsicle stick (genius packaging!) until everything is fully dissolved. At first I thought that I've used too much water because things were looking pretty runny. However, as the mixture cooled, it became just the right consistency- viscous but not gloopy. After the treatment has cooled to a comfortable temperature, massage into dry hair, leave on for 20 minutes, rinse, shampoo, and voila! One bar makes quite a lot of product, more than enough for my thick, shoulder-length hair. I ended up just slathering everything on but Lush does note that you can keep the mixture for up to four weeks. However, you'll probably need to store it in a sealed container to prevent drying.

Lush Hot Oil Treatment in "New"

For my test run, I used the Hot Oil Treatment in "New", which is made with jojoba oil, olive oil, sea salt, rosemary, nettle, and peppermint. And thanks to the cinnamon, cloves, and peppermint, it has a spicy and invigorating fragrance. Additionally, all the treatments are formulated with guar gum, which I believe is what helps thicken the mixture into a more traditional, hair conditioner-like consistency.
I thought the formulation might feel cooling on the scalp but I didn't get much of that. The mixture feels like a traditional hair mask and when it was washed off, my hair didn't feel greasy or heavy. The product softened and nourished, but it wasn't as smoothing or potent as I'd expected. I've yet to try the other four (I will update this post when I do, please see below) but from my experience with "New", I really like this product. The mixing process may be a bit time consuming but watching a solid bar turn into a thick hair treatment is actually pretty cool. In fact, the whole process is strangely therapeutic. It's not a treatment I have time for on a regular basis but every once in a while, it's a nice pampering. Read on below for a little summary on all five treatments.

Lush Hot Oil Treatment

Damaged: Made with olive oil, avocado oil, almond oil, and vanilla extract, Damaged is designed to deeply nourish and hydrate dry and damaged hair. *Update: This one softened and nourished. The results are not as amazing as that of Hair Doctor but it's similar to New in that it smoothed and conditioned.*

Yuge: This is a volumizing treatment made with agave syrup, sea salt, and jojoba. *Update: This one really did volumize my hair but it left behind the most unappealing scalp residue that looked like a bad case of dandruff. It took three good showers to get rid of all the white flakes so I definitely do not recommend this one!*

New: With a spicy mix of cinnamon, cloves, and peppermint, New is an invigorating treatment that's also nourishing thanks to the addition of jojoba and olive oil.

Marilyn: Designed for blonde hair (natural or colored), Marilyn contains chamomile which naturally brightens hair. Although this one is targeted towards blondes, the bar is really suitable for any hair color as it contains all the other good stuff (ex. olive oil, lemon oil) that you'd expect from a nice hair treatment.

Hair Doctor: In addition to oils of jojoba, almond, coconut, peppermint, and chamomile, Hair Doctor is formulated with fullers earth, henna, and lanolin. Fuller's earth provides a deep cleansing by absorbing excess oil and dirt while the henna and lanolin give the hair a glossy shine. *Update: This one is super cooling and tingly on the scalp and it made my hair incredibly soft and silky.*

Availability:
Lush is available online and in stores at Lush boutiques.